Jesus Saves!
An enthusiastic missionary hymn, reminding us to take glad good news of Jesus’ saving love to each corner of the globe. A faithful school and Sunday School teacher Priscilla Owens wrote Jesus Saves, and many other hymns, to teach children the basics of the Christian faith.
Welcome back to Friday Classic Hymns. Today I want to look at a song called "Jesus Saves". I only learnt the song when I started to record some old Nazarene hymns in my Canaan Melodies project, and I really liked this song. It had a real missionary zest and enthusiasm to it! So I'm looking forward to taking you through it.
As always, I encourage you to share your memories and recollections of the song in the comments below. I'd love to hear what the song has meant to you and how it's been part of your faith journey. Maybe if it is a new song to you, you'd like to share just what it's meant to you. As you've heard it for the first time, I am sure it's going to inspire you in your evangelistic efforts.
The Story Behind "Jesus Saves"
Not much is known about Priscilla Jane Owens, who wrote the song. In fact, this picture that I have on the screen is not actually her. It's just a portrait of somebody around the time she lived. I could not find a picture of her, but I imagine she must have looked something like this.
She was born in 1829 and she worked mostly in Maryland. She was a teacher and this was her whole life - educating children. You can see this in her hymns. She wrote a lot of hymns that had a real childlike quality to them: simple words, easy rhymes, something that kids could remember and learn quite quickly and that could teach them the basics of the faith or some of the things that children need to know about God.
Not only did she teach in local schools in Maryland for five decades or so, but she was also very involved in the Sunday school programme at her local church. She was a Methodist and went to the Union Square Methodist Episcopal Church, and she spent all those years teaching the children about God. Her hymns were very well loved by the kids, and she ended up being published in a lot of the local magazines, and a few of her hymns were quite big. Perhaps you know "Will Your Anchor Hold", which is one of hers? And then this one, "Jesus Saves". Those are her two big famous hymns.
Because "Jesus Saves" had this missionary quality and you'll hear the words have all these nautical expressions, which I'll explain just now, a jaunty sea-type melody or a sailor-type melody was put to it by William Kirkpatrick, the great composer of the time. Perhaps this added to its popularity. It became a great, rousing hymn to sing whenever there was some sort of an evangelistic theme to a service.
In fact, some of you may remember the old-fashioned Revival Hour radio broadcast, which was around from the late 30s to the late 60s, I believe, and this was the song that always started that broadcast. I found this in a little book online, and it said that the song starting the broadcast every week sort of gave expression to this mission-orientated message that the show was all about.
Priscilla Owens died in 1907, in Baltimore, where she had lived all her life. Her hymns continue to have a legacy, even just those two. They continue to be used in church services everywhere.
What Do the Lyrics of "Jesus Saves" Mean?
There are four verses in the song, and I'll take you through each one.
Verse 1
We have heard the joyful sound. Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
This joyful sound is the good news of the gospel, isn't it? The declaration that Jesus saves is a joyful sound, and going and telling this good news brings joy and love and peace wherever it goes.
Spread the tidings all around: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
We have this responsibility to spread the gladness of Jesus' saving grace all around. You can hear this theme continue throughout the whole song.
Bear the news to every land, climb the steeps and cross the waves.
Here's that missionary zest coming out. Go over the mountains and the waves, the oceans, wherever we can go to bear this good news to every land. Of course, it's our call as Christians to spread the gospel to every nation. That's what Jesus said that we should do. The gospel must spread to every land through the good work of God's people.
Onward! 'tis our Lord's command. Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Of course, Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples. The Great Commission you remember in Matthew 28 is to go and make disciples of all nations. This first verse just excites us to the work of spreading the good news, the glad, good news that Jesus has got salvation for every soul.
Verse 2
Waft it on the rolling tide: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
The rolling tide makes you think of moving at sea, doesn't it? Going across the oceans to share the good news. To waft, I suppose, means to carry something through the air. As you go to these different nations, take the good news that Jesus saves.
Tell to sinners far and wide: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Well, this is the news. Everybody has fallen short. Everybody far and wide has fallen short of the standard that God has for us. We're all sinners, but Jesus saves. Even though we're all sinners, God loves us and wants to redeem us. This is the good news that God loved us while we were still sinners and enabled us to be saved, if we have faith.
Sing, ye islands of the sea, echo back, ye ocean caves.
Again, there's this sense of out there, way out there, over the oceans, over the islands of the sea, that the good news be heard and sung and echoed back wherever we go. The remotest parts of the world need to hear the good news.
Earth shall keep her jubilee: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Well, this jubilee is the Old Testament teaching that every 50 years there should be a time of release and forgiveness of debts and return of property to people and so on. Jesus came and said it's now the year of jubilee. He came. He initiated an eternal jubilee in a spiritual sense, so that all people can know that release and that forgiveness that He brings. Earth shall keep her jubilee all around the earth. Everybody can know this jubilee, this freedom that Christ brings.
Verse 3
Sing above the battle strife: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Even when we're in battles and when there's strife in our lives, we still sing the saving love of Jesus. We know that becoming a Christian doesn't just make your life easy. There's still going to be battles and struggles. But we keep singing of His salvation because no matter what's happening in our lives, His saving grace changed everything for us.
By His death and endless life: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
This is the salvation story. Jesus died so that we may be forgiven. He died in our place so that we could be forgiven. His endless life is because even though He died, He came back to life and lives for evermore. That's how He saves. This is the message, always sharing the message that Christ died and rose again for our salvation.
Sing it softly through the gloom, when the heart for mercy craves.
Everybody has times of gloom and fear and difficulty. Perhaps it's then that we most recognise our need for Jesus. Jesus gently whispers in our times of difficulty that His salvation is ours. Reminds me of how He said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Jesus whispers into our difficult times and into our struggles with mercy and grace to save us. Wonderful stuff.
Sing in triumph o'er the tomb: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Jesus rose and His victory over the tomb. For every Christian there is now resurrection power. We can live lives of spiritual victory whilst we're still alive. Once we've embraced His Holy Spirit, we also have the great promise of life after death - victory over the tomb. Death is not the end for the Christian.
Verse 4
Give the winds a mighty voice: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
It makes me think of how the Holy Spirit blows like a wind. Jesus said in John 3 that it blows where it will and brings people to God. It also makes me think of Pentecost. Remember how it was like a great wind blowing as the Spirit fell on people? So let the Spirit move and give us a mighty voice, I suppose, as we seek to share the message of Jesus and His salvation.
Let the nations now rejoice: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
All nations have this possibility of being saved. Of course, the nations in biblical days are not the same nations as today. So perhaps instead of thinking of our current countries, which will also change their borders and so on as time goes on, just thinking about all people, all groups, all tribes, all tongues, whatever, whoever - everybody can rejoice as they embrace the saving love of Christ.
Shout salvation full and free, highest hills and deepest caves.
God's salvation is free. It's not something we earn by doing enough good. It's full. It completely saves us from sin's power, sin's penalty, and of course, one day from sin's presence when we are in heaven. It's a full salvation and it's wonderful to share this with all the nations. With the highest hills and deepest caves, everywhere we go, we need to share this message throughout the whole earth.
This our song of victory: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
This is our anthem that ours is the victory. Not by going around and pushing the gospel on everybody. I know that that was the way of the Middle Ages Christians who tended to force people into the faith, which surely didn't produce true converts. That's not what we're saying. We're saying go and spread the good news and tell people of Jesus' love and leave it to them to decide for Him or against Him. But those who decide for Him and accept His salvation find great victory in this life and in the life to come.
Conclusion
What a powerful song. Now, when I recorded this for my Canaan Melodies album, I wanted to give it a different feel because all of these old hymns started to sound very clunky on the piano, and I tried to give this one a whole different feel. So it's very mellow and very laid back. We do all these sort of jazzy chords and, listening to it today, the old video that I did of it made me think - I wonder if that was the right feel for the song, because it's got a feel of victory and triumph, and I've sort of tamed it down. But it's the way I did it, and I really like singing it like this. I found it quite interesting. It gives me more chance to reflect on the words, I think. So let me know what you think of the version that I play now. If you think I should go back to the more triumphant plain playing of it, or if you quite like the mellow version, sing it with me.
As always, thank you for donating to my ministry. Those of you who donate on my PayPal or on Patreon to get the extra downloads every week, I'm truly grateful for your generosity. Thank you. Come, let's sing with joy of the salvation that Jesus offers.
References
Priscilla Jane Owens Biography - Blue Letter Bible
Priscilla Jane Owens - Hymnology Archive
Priscilla Owens - Hymnary.org
Fuller, D; Goff, P; McGinn, K. "Sing Thy Power to Save" in Blumhofer, E & Noll, M, Singing the Lord's Song in a Strange Land: Hymnody in the History of American Protestantism. 2004. The University of Alabama Press: Tuscaloosa
